Michigan State basketball: 3 Takeaways from season opening win against Colgate

After a pair of exhibitions, Michigan State basketball is officially back. The Spartans opened their season in a tune up contest against the Colgate Raiders. MSU entered as 20.5-point favorites against Colgate, but it was hard to see why. Colgate threatened all night, at one point drawing even in the second half with the Spartans. Ultimately, the Spartans outlasted Colgate’s offensive firepower, winning 80-69.

What can be taken away from starting the season 1-0?

1. Same Old Spartans from the Charity Stripe

While it is a new season for Michigan State basketball, the Spartans continue some of their old trends. The Spartans struggled shooting free throws, shooting an abysmal 64.9% on 24-of-37 from the stripe.

Colgate struggled with Michigan State basketball’s physicality, and Tom Izzo pressed that advantage in the second half. The Spartans attacked at rebounds, and it sent them to the line 27 times in the second half. However, Jaxon Kohler and Coen Carr each missed a trio of free throws, Carson Cooper missed a pair, and Cam Ward missed four shots from the stripe in his debut.

Tom Izzo said he will take a lot of blame for the Spartans playing off, but he will not be taking the fall for their failures from the line. At this point, the Spartans need to work their way out of the slump. Between this game and the last exhibition against UConn, MSU has 31 missed free throws.

2. Early Season Defensive Woes Continue

The first half was much too close for comfort. Michigan State basketball was shooting and scoring well, but defensively, they were not doing enough. The Spartans led by three at half, giving up threes at an alarming rate. Colgate shot 44.8% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc.

Most of that came from a lack of Michigan State defensive pressure. They cleaned it up in the second half, at points. At other times, it somehow managed to be worse than the first half. Colgate was able to tie the game in the second half, before an offensive flurry outlasted the Raiders.

The Spartans allowed 35 second-half points from the Raiders, forcing MSU to continue shooting at their own high level as opposed to letting other players get more reps. The “core four” from last year’s team, Kohler, Carr, Cooper, and Fears, played 26:50 minutes or more in the game, while the next closest Spartan was on court for 18:59.

Overall, Colgate shot 50% from the field in the second half. That defense was not good enough. None of the guards besides Jeremy Fears Jr. played a great defensive game, and that needs to change, fast. Izzo reiterated multiple times in his press conference that Arkansas would embarrass the Spartans if the same effort is shown today.

3. Jordan Scott may be the next freshman phenom

During the press conferences, Tom Izzo was bashing analytics. Over and over, he rampaged against analytics. Why? Quite simply, the analytics did not reflect the effort game that freshman Jordan Scott had. Scott played with high energy from the second he touched the collegiate court (officially) for the first time.

The freshman was diving for loose balls, getting rebounds, throwing himself into play after play to make an impact. Tom Izzo appreciated the freshman. It has been rare to see Izzo glow about a freshman, especially in a squeaker of a win against a lower opponent, but the coach praised Scott.

It was for good reason, too. While it would be premature to call the freshman the next one-and-done after Jase Richardson, Scott was the second-or-third best player on court. He finished with six points and six rebounds, along with an assist. However, his impact was felt all over the court on Monday.

What is next for Michigan State basketball?

The Spartan return to play on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. EST, hosting John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks. This is one of the premier out-of-conference games of the season, and it goes without saying that the Breslin Center will be rocking.